Time Is Something None Of Us Have
by emmahasanidea
Summary: Surviving in the sewers seemed like the best thing that had happened to the Hunters that abandoned the Firefly pack after Marlene's obsession over the girl and her being the cure.


_Bang_

The last Infected falls to the ground. I check my 9mm and see one bullet left. I bend down by the most recent kill. I frisk it for bullets and find an unopened packet of ammo. As a check through what remains of its leather jacket it twitches. Suddenly before I can retract my arm I can feel its teeth piercing the skin. I force my cry back so I don't alarm the others and fumble for the gun and quickly shoot it in the head. "Yo Josh you OK?" Rob shouts from some way down the sewer tunnel.

"Yea, just finishing them off." I lie as I stare the bite. It's already started to form, the orange blotches and boils starting to appear where the blood was a few seconds ago.  
>"Well come on then dude," He says and enters the tunnel. "They're waiting for us..." I try to tug down my sleeve so he doesn't see. But he's not looking at me, he's looking at the amount of Infected lying dead on the floor in front of us.<p>

"Shit. I never knew it was that bad." He mutters.  
>"Does it matter? I managed to keep them all away." I snap harshly.<br>"You bit?" He asks being sceptical.  
>"Clean as a whistle, you?"<p>

"Almost. One of them came at me, but it bit my watch." He says and gets it out of his pocket. The watch face cracked and most of the cogs on show. His leather strap is hanging off with teeth marks in it. His daughter gave him that watch on the last day he'd ever see her. She became a medic in another clan, but was killed not soon after by 'friendly fire'. Word filtered down to us not soon after. It destroyed him. It's amazing how many grown men I've seen cry. "The fucker broke my watch." He mutters. He falls to his knees holding it.

As he does he sees my bite. "What the hell is that under your sleeve?" He asks quietly keeping his hysteria at bay. I slowly roll up my sleeve knowing the state he's in I can't upset him more. "You said you didn't get bitten!" He yells and grabs his gun out of his belt. I stumble up grabbing my gun and the box of ammo. "After all the shit we've done together you didn't think to tell me that you were bitten?" I quickly shove a new magazine in the gun. Rob gets to his feet holding his gun at his side. I look at the bite again it's spread up most of my forearm. I'm going to turn into one of those fucking things. I don't want to fucking turn. "How long Josh?"

"About five minutes."  
>"Oh Christ." He stutters. Neither of us have known anyone to turn as quick as this.<br>"I'll've turned within an hour." I say as if it is normal. None of this is normal. Fighting for survival in what was one of richest countries in the world is not normal!

"I've got to tell the others." He says urgently. He turns his back to me and click the bullet into position. He can't tell everyone. They'll think I let more Infected in. I can't let this clan be destroyed. Everyone's safe here... for the moment.  
>"No one else needs to know Rob." I say as he turns around.<br>"So what do you want to do?"  
>"Promise to look after them." I say. "Promise never to talk about this." And point the gun at the bite.<p>

"I promise." He says. "You've been good to us Josh. Remember that." He says and slowly,reluctantly-we'd been friends from high school and he knows there's fuck all he can do to save me, so he has too- walks out of the tunnel. He knows what I'm going to do, he knows I won't let myself turn. And I know the thought of me dead will be enough to kill him itself.

I slowly walk down through the shit smelling tunnels to the drain opening. I push the heavy metal grate up and climb out, then put it down so no Clickers will come running to the sound. The moon and stars light up the dark sky and reflect on the sea. However ironic. Something so beautiful in this deadly world where you kill to survive.

I climb down the rocks onto the shoreline. I can't be close to them when I pull the trigger. They won't be ready for another attack yet. I see the old fishing boat. We looted it for supplies when we first arrived here. I crouch under the ripped wood and pull myself up through the hole and onto the deck. I open the door the cabin and sit in the captain's seat and look facing out to sea. I get the notepad and pencil out of my rucksack and start to write.

_I'll be long dead by the time anyone reads this. I couldn't turn into one of those things. I can't hurt any more people than I already have. The Fireflies will never find a cure even if they do find the girl. Matty said that they would kill her and even the chances of finding a cure from her are next to none. I've lived a good life. I lived a life before this one. I just fear for the kids. If they somehow get through all this I hope they can create a peaceful world._

_There's a sewer network northwest of this ship if you're looking for somewhere_...

The pen suddenly starts shaking in my hand. I finish the letter and grab my gun. I stare out to sea. 20 years ago I never would have thought it would come to this. I press the gun to my temple and pull the trigger.

Weeks later, a group of four travellers stumble across the boat. Josh's clan didn't make it, they were yet to be found by the travellers. They thought they were safe after the last wave of Clickers, so the number of watchers that night was severely reduced to let those that were left rest. They were going to move somewhere else. They knew it wasn't safe there anymore.

That night Infected struck again-Runners this time. The group pushed the women and children out first thinking they'd get to safety with a head start. It's a cruel world they live in.

She runs inside and pulls herself up onto the deck. She opens the doors and the pungent stink of a rotting corpse leaves her hanging onto the door coughing the smell out of her. Once the smell has dissipated she walks in and sees the bag of gear the grabs it and then sees the bullet hole in his and the infection on his arm. _He didn't want to turn_, she thinks and notices the note pinned to the controls. She picks it up and starts to read:

_I'll be long dead by the time anyone reads this. I couldn't turn into one of those things. I can't hurt any more people than I already have. The Fireflies will never find a cure even if they do find the girl. Rob said that they would kill her and even the chances of finding a cure from her are next to none. I've lived a good life. I lived a life before this one. I just fear for the kids. If they somehow get through all this I hope they can create a peaceful world._

_There's a sewer network northwest of this ship if you're looking for somewhere to go._

_I'm turning._

_Time is something none of us have here. So don't waste it._

_Let's see if God exists_

_ - Josh_

"Ellie what have you found?" Joel asks as he climbs onto the deck.  
>"A dead man and a bag of supplies." She says as the stuffs the note into her back pocket. She throws Joel the bag and quickly closes the door.<p> 


End file.
